1. Field of Invention
My invention is a device for warning motorists that the air pressure in one or more of the tires on their motor vehicle and/or any vehicle being towed is low.
2. Prior Art
The safe operation of any vehicle having pneumatic tires is dependent on the maintenance of proper air pressure in the tires. Loss of pressure, for any reason, can cause the tire to prematurely wear. It can also create heat by excessive flexing that will soon damage the tire irreparably. If such a low tire condition is not detected quickly enough, the performance of the towing vehicle or the vehicle being towed can be affected so adversely as to cause the vehicle operator to lose control. This can result in an accident causing property damage as well as bodily injury. Further, it has been known that low tires on vehicles being towed have gone on undetected for long enough periods of time that the tire has completely disintegrated, leaving the rim to rub the roadway causing sparks to inflame the grasses and forest on the side of the road.
The need for a low tire warning system has heretofore prompted the creation of various devices calculated to detect low pressure in pneumatic tires and then alert the motorist. However, these mechanisms have proved too complex to be commercially viable. Further, such systems have been laden with many drawbacks such as unreliability, expense, not being versatile enough to fit most vehicles, lack of sensitivity, inability to capture the vehicle operator's attention, and appliance longevity. In the event of a low or flat tire, some of these devices are likely to be damaged, rendering them useless for future low tire events. Some examples of such devices are: U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,602,885; 3,610,851; 4,075,602; 4,187,495; 4,814,744; and 5,032,822.